


Not a Fan of Griffins

by BlaiddGwyn (dragonLeighs)



Series: Whumptober 2020 [19]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Blindfolds, Blood, Gen, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Kidnapped Jaskier | Dandelion, Whumptober 2020, jaskier is so over being kidnapped, like a tiny bit, what he's not psyched about is being kept next to a griffin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonLeighs/pseuds/BlaiddGwyn
Summary: Jaskier wakes up, bound and blindfolded. Not for the first time, he's been kidnapped. Whatever. Then he learns there's a royal griffin mere meters away being kept in a flimsy cage. Suddenly he's a lot more concerned.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947397
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Not a Fan of Griffins

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, another "Jaskier gets kidnapped" fic. I know. But sometimes ideas work best when Jaskier can't save himself. Or else there wouldn't really be a fic.
> 
> Anyway, whumptober day 24 "blindfolded".
> 
> I ended up making a bit of backstory where Jaskier had a near death experience with a griffin once and now has an actual fear of them. Maybe I'll write that fic someday...

Jaskier’s head was pounding, a persistent throbbing throughout his skull that showed no signs of abating any time soon. What happened? Did a hunt go sideways? And why did his arms hurt? He tried to shift them but found they were stuck behind him. No, not stuck, _tied_. Shit. He opened his eyes but only saw black. That was when he noticed the tight feeling around his head wasn’t just because of his headache which he was beginning to suspect was caused by whoever had kidnapped him. Because that must have been what happened, right?

He mentally told himself to stay calm and pretend to still be unconscious, although he didn’t know if anyone was already watching him. Blindfolded, he would have to rely on his other senses. He could tell he was still outside from the feeling of grass against his face. A field perhaps? He could hear several men talking but couldn’t judge how far away they were, nor which direction they seemed to be coming from. There was something else too, like giant bellows coming from somewhere close behind him. Shoving _that _mystery to the back of his mind, he tried to pick up on the conversation of his kidnappers.__

__He only managed a few snatches of words but concluded they were a group of bandits looking to get money out of Geralt in exchange for Jaskier. Great. He had no doubt Geralt would come for him, but he hoped the witcher wouldn’t get hurt in the process._ _

__After several minutes of lying on the ground and waiting for _something_ to happen, Jaskier finally picked up on a set of footsteps approaching him. He had zero warning for the swift kick delivered to his ribs, forcing the air from his lungs, causing him to curl in on himself._ _

__“Ah, you’re awake,” the man said, his voice low and gravelly._ _

__Jaskier tried to retort but managed little more than a strangled noise as he still fought to draw air. The man didn’t say anything for a while but Jaskier could hear him moving around, stepping past him to presumably do something with whatever was behind him. Gods, he hated being blindfolded._ _

__The thing, whatever it was, seemed to be a living creature if the deep rumbling growl was any indication. There was the sound of something hard hitting metal bars and the creature let out an ear-splitting shriek, causing Jaskier to flinch hard. The man only laughed. “What, the witcher’s bard is afraid of monsters?”_ _

__“Usually I can see them. What is that thing?”_ _

__“Royal griffin. He’ll be you’re new cellmate.”_ _

__Panic rose sharply in his chest. “Wh- what! You can’t put me in there with it!”_ _

__“Don’t worry, you’re only tied to the bars," he said casually, as though he were merely talking about the weather. "We need you alive after all. For now.”_ _

__There was the sound of something wet hitting the ground before the smell of rotting meat hit his nose. The man must be feeding the beast then. Jaskier could hear the royal griffin’s massive beak snapping up the meat, shrieking only once more as the man continued to move around behind Jaskier._ _

__There was another kick, this time to Jaskier’s back as the man walked past again, chuckling to himself. Jaskier got himself sitting upright after taking a moment to breath through the shock of being kicked again since there was no point in pretending to be unconscious anymore. He tried his best to scoot himself as far from the griffin as he could manage. Which, as it turned out, wasn’t very far. The rope tying him to the beast’s cage pulled taut, preventing him from going any further._ _

__By now the royal griffin seemed to have finished its foul meal of what was probably scraps, the sounds of eating having ceased. It growled again, letting out a blast of rancid air in Jaskier’s direction with enough force to ruffle his hair, only serving to make his heart beat faster. He almost gagged with the smell of it. He’d only ever seen a griffin once. Geralt had insisted this was one of the monsters that was too dangerous for him to be anywhere near. Foolishly he had gone on the hunt anyway and it had almost cost him his life. He had stayed away from griffins ever since._ _

__Now he was tied up mere meters away from one in what had sounded like a metal cage. He was surprised it hadn’t already broken free knowing how stong they were, but perhaps he had been mistaken. It really was hard to tell with only sound to go on. Maybe there was something else keeping the beast contained as well._ _

__No one else came to see to either him or the royal griffin for what he assumed was the rest of the day. He heard the bandits gather in one area after a few hours, presumably to eat. They were too far away for Jaskier to pick out their conversation but there would be the occasional roar of laughter. The royal griffin seemed to grow more agitated, banging and clawing against its cage and shrieking. It caused Jaskier to flinch each time, sending ice through his veins. He had worked himself up so much that he was certain that with every noise, the beast was about to break free and he wouldn’t even see it coming._ _

__The camp quietened down eventually as the bandits bedded down for the night. Jaskier could feel the temperature drop as night fell. He had no idea what the time was or how long he had been sitting there, only that he was terrified of the monster beside him and that he stopped being able to feel his hands a while ago. His headache had receded to a dull throbbing but it was still distracting. The blindfold felt like it was crushing his skull with how tight it had been tied, plastering his ears painfully to his head._ _

__He found himself unable to sleep, not that he particularly wanted to. His nerves were shot with the knowledge that the royal griffin was _right there_. It seemed to have settled somewhat at least, scratching at the bars far less frequently. Jaskier lay down on the hard ground, curling into himself as much as was possible with his arms tied behind him to try and keep himself warm. He lay there for what felt like hours before he heard something moving._ _

__It didn’t come from the direction of the royal griffin, or even where the bandits had been as far as he could tell. He strained his ears to try and catch it again but only heard a growl from the monster, causing him to flinch again._ _

__“Jaskier,” a whispered voice came._ _

__“Geralt!” Jaskier said back._ _

__“Shh.”_ _

__“Sorry, just, get me out of here,” he whispered back._ _

__He felt a knife cut through the rope tying him to the cage before the tension was released, letting him drop his arms a little. Next he felt a pair of hands on his head, trying to pull the blindfold off. “Ow! Stop, that’s not going to work,” Jaskier said as Geralt tried to yank the cloth free. It was simply too tight to pull off._ _

__“I’ll have to cut it. Hold still.”_ _

__“Just untie it.”_ _

__“You think I wouldn’t if I could?” Geralt retorted._ _

__“Fine.” Jaskier held still as he felt the cold metal of a knife slip between his head and the blindfold. A second later, it came free, falling into his lap. He blinked a few times as the bright light of the moon stabbed his eyes. Geralt moved behind him then to cut the rope still keeping his hands bound._ _

__“I need to cut this too.”_ _

__Jaskier held still as Geralt slipped the knife between the ropes. The royal griffin chose that moment to bang its wing against the cage, startling Jaskier and causing the knife to slip. Jaskier felt a sharp pain in his arm but he barely paid it any attention, having temporarily forgotten about the beast behind him. Geralt cursed as the knife cut Jaskier but the rope finally came away._ _

__Jaskier made the mistake then of turning to look at the monster. It was much closer and larger than Jaskier expected, towering over them from inside its cage. Instinctively Jaskier scrambled back, out of Geralt’s grip where he was trying to apply some pressure to the new wound on his arm._ _

__“Jaskier,” he hissed, “keep quiet. We don’t want to wake these fools.”_ _

__“S-sorry.” His heart was pounding in his chest loud enough he was sure Geralt could hear it clear as day._ _

__“Come on. Roach is nearby.”_ _

__Geralt kept his hand clamped over the sluggishly bleeding cut on Jaskier’s wrist, leading him to the trees. The royal griffin thankfully kept quiet._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Hmm, I'm unsatisfied by the ending but it's getting late. Hope it wasn't too abrupt.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. I love hearing what you guys think!
> 
> Find me on [tumblr.](https://blaidd-gwyn.tumblr.com)


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